Diversity as a driver for success, an interview with Nancy McKinstry

According to Het Financieele Dagblad, Nancy McKinstry is anything but tired. As head of Wolters Kluwer for the past sixteen years, the company has transformed from a traditional publishing group to a leading provider of digital information for healthcare and business professionals.

Het Financieele Dagblad (Dutch/Paywall), a leading Dutch business publication, recently sat down with Wolters Kluwer CEO Nancy McKinstry for a candid interview. The conversation spanned a range of topics, including her reflections on the experience of living in the Netherlands these last years.

In this rare personal interview, the reader is taken on a journey through Nancy’s early childhood and modest upbringing to, ultimately, taking on the position of CEO of Wolters Kluwer at the age of 43. “It was truly an honor, because I recognized the importance and courage of the Supervisory Board in asking someone who was not from the Netherlands. It was a first for Wolters Kluwer,” Nancy reflects.

What about her reflections on living in the Netherlands, its culture and traditions? What are her impressions and experiences leading one of the country’s oldest companies? “I’m clearly a bit of a mixture at the moment. While I’m obviously still an American, the European influence - not only the Dutch influence - is there too. I've become a different person, a mixture of two things.”

A primary focus for Nancy as CEO of Wolters Kluwer has been the focus on diversity which has been cited as a primary reason for the organization’s success, “The reason I am so enthusiastic about diversity is that I have seen from my own experience that the most diverse teams achieve the best results,” she reflected.

The importance of education to her is also clear, but one which is not hers alone. “I do believe in giving back and believe very much in education, which is something I’ve inherited from my mother.”

Much discussion is often made about what a CEO makes. Nancy makes clear it is relative to the success of Wolters Kluwer and what the shareholders receive.

Wolters Kluwer is taking its position a step further as it gears up to provide more software services and data analyses. Nancy McKinstry is enthusiastic and optimistic about Wolters Kluwer as it enters its next 3-year strategy, Accelerating Our Value– the continuing digital transformation of Wolters Kluwer towards an expert solutions company.